The Mexican federation chose Gerardo Martino as the national team coach to lead the Qatar 2022 project. He had a successful start by winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019, beating the United States in the final, and now he is preparing for the next main challenges: Copa América and World Cup.
The Argentine manager made some changes in the national squad and there are more to come. Current Mexican icons, such as Andrés Guardado, Guillermo Ochoa or Javier Chicharito Hernández, will be in the final stage of their professional careers by 2022. It will be the time for other players to take center stage and become the Mexico’s hope to make an impact in the next World Cup.
Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez.
Raúl Jiménez is the player of the moment. His performances with Wolverhampton put him as one of the best strikers in the Premier League. Martino already considers him the main man in attack, as he showed during the 2019 Gold Cup. Jiménez will be a 30-year-old striker in Qatar 2022, the perfect age for a number 9 in this kind of competitions. With his experience, he will probably have a leading role in the national team, being a big influence for the younger players.
Edson Álvarez is another player who will play a vital role for Mexico in the World Cup. The 22-year-old joined Ajax in the last transfer window after playing three seasons for Club América. The defensive midfielder can also play as central, an ability that helps Martino with his system when the team is attacking. While Mexico has the possession of the ball, Álvarez goes down to make a line of three and the wing-backs go up.
Hirving Lozano celebrates after scoring for Napoli.
The last of the list is Hirving Chucky Lozano. The Napoli winger is probably the most explosive Mexican player right now. He missed the 2019 Gold Cup due to an injury, but he returned to the national team to play some CONCACAF Nations Lague games. There’s no doubt that he will be in Martino’s first team plans. Lozano’s speed and ability to leave defenders behind are some of his main skills, but he can also become in one of the national team’s goalscorers in Qatar 2022.
